Korean Village Han Kuk Kwan Restaurant Toronto Reviews

My friend and I ended up at Korean Village Restaurant completely by accident- we had planned to eat at Southern Accent, a Cajun-style place at Markham and Bloor, which I have always wanted to try, but turned out to be closed on a Monday evening. Instead, (and partially because we were pretty hungry at this point) we opted to stroll nearby Korea-town along Bloor St. West to find some grub. While most restaurants good or bad in this area consist of rather dour, fluorescent-lit, white-walled dives, (which I am not saying reflects poorly on the quality of the food at all!) Korean Village looked welcoming from the outside- its entrance surrounded by leafy vines and tall potted flowers. Windows looked in on private rooms with long tables around which dined large parties of people eating and laughing and looking satisfied. We decided to go in and look at the menu. As you walk in, the walls near the door are covered in photos of the owners with various "VIP" visitors. Jackie Chan's presence among these immediately convinced me that this was our place. Not only that, but the warm, pleasant decor and lighting felt totally different from other restaurants in the neighbourhood. We were seated quickly and given the option of a booth in the main open area of the restaurant or one of many small, private rooms with tables inside them. We opted to be in the open, in a roomy booth. Our waiter was the owner's son, and he was eager to answer questions about the restaurant, as well as bring us many appetizers on the house (returning with more helpings of the ones we liked the most, without our asking!) To say the service was good would be an understatement. While some might have been overwhelmed by our waiter's level of attentiveness, we thought it was endearing, and would definitely return. I had bimbimbap in a stone bowl and my friend had a soup with mushrooms. Both were great. Of the apps the waiter brought us, the fish cakes were phenomenal, as well as cucumbers in some kind of red sauce (different but awesome) but everything was good. Prices were fair and comprable to any place in the area. I'm surprised that there are some negative reviews on Google Maps of this place, especially in reference to the service, and urge anyone to disregard these as they're likely isolated incidents. If you like Korean food and being treated like royalty by your server, definitely check this restaurant out!